This invention concerns a mechanism for a timepiece having a analog mechanical display with at least an hours hand and a minutes hand and comprises a manually operable crowned stem capable of being toggled into at least two axial positions, an axially displaceable pinion and means slaving the pinion to the stem whereby the pinion may assume at least two distinct positions as determined by the axial positions of the stem.
Such a mechanism is well known from the state of the art. If reference be made for instance to Swiss Pat. No. 611 759 and to the figure shown therein, there will be found a mechanism comprising a stem 4 serving at the same time to wind the watch and to set the hands thereof. The time setting function is assured by an axially displaceable pinion which comprises a sliding pinion 8 which may slide on a squared portion of the stem, and thus in accordance with the axial position of the stem may engage an intermediate setting wheel 25. Pinion 8 is slaved to the stem 4 by the mechanism formed by the trigger piece 1 and the rocking lever 2. It will be observed that in this construction the diameter of the sliding pinion 8 is clearly much greater than the diameter of the stem and that consequently such a construction is poorly adapted to a watch of very small thickness in accordance with current styling.
To overcome this difficulty it has been proposed to mount the sliding pinion at the end of a stem, this enabling said pinion a diameter which does not exceed the diameter of the stem. Such a construction however requires the manufacture of components which are difficult to obtain in practice and at the same time leads to an elongated mechanism which is difficult to place within the movement.
To overcome these disadvantages, the present invention proposes a new construction which will appear from the means defined in the claims.